At peace at last

Shermantine-Herzog victim Cyndi Vanderheiden laid to rest near home

LODI - John and Terri Vanderheiden, after nearly 14 years of aching to bring home the remains of their murdered daughter, Cyndi, held a funeral Saturday at long last laying her to rest in a cemetery near their Clements home.

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By Scott Smith

recordnet.com

By Scott Smith

Posted Apr. 22, 2012 at 12:01 AM

By Scott Smith

Posted Apr. 22, 2012 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

LODI - John and Terri Vanderheiden, after nearly 14 years of aching to bring home the remains of their murdered daughter, Cyndi, held a funeral Saturday at long last laying her to rest in a cemetery near their Clements home.

Vanderheiden, 25, vanished Nov. 14, 1998, launching hundreds of searches. On Feb. 9, investigators recovered her remains from a shallow grave in a Calaveras County ravine, led by the letters of serial killer Wesley Shermantine, who placed her there.

But there was no mention Saturday of Shermantine or Loren Herzog, his boyhood friend from Linden, who confessed to watching Shermantine murder her and other victims in a 15-year killing spree.

Rather, Rev. Gary Standish in the memorial service at Lodi's First Baptist Church celebrated Vanderheiden as a small-town girl who had her father's looks and mother's personality.

"She would light up any room," Standish said. "She was somebody you wanted to be around all the time."

About 200 relatives and friends lined up before and after the memorial to embrace Vanderheiden's parents and older sister, Kim Lovejoy. Lovejoy and her family traveled from their home in Wyoming for the memorial.

Vanderheiden was also remembered as an animal lover who above all adored her fluffy white cat, Topaz. The cat waited for her return and died only recently when Cindy Vanderheiden's remains were brought home.

"Now, they both can be at peace with each other again," Standish said. "Topaz waited many years to be with Cyndi again."

A slideshow that played during the memorial depicted Vanderheiden holding her beloved cat. Other photos showed her growing up over the years with her sister. They were shown with the Easter bunny and sitting on Santa's lap.

At the memorial's end, her parents and sister stood and with shaky voices thanked everybody for attending the memorial and supporting them over the difficult years.

"I want to thank everybody for all the hugs," said Terri Vanderheiden, standing between her oldest daughter and husband.

It was Cyndi Vanderheiden's disappearance that brought a halt to Shermantine and Herzog's drug-fueled killing spree. They were arrested in 1999, shortly after she went missing. The duo is believed to be responsible for at least five murders and possibly as many 20.

Late last year, Shermantine began to write letters to The Record offering to reveal victims' burial locations for money. Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, who also attended the memorial, met the killer's challenge.

Herzog hanged himself Jan. 16 while on parole in Lassen County as Shermantine began to communicate but before any of the discoveries were made.

San Joaquin and Calaveras county deputies scouring remote hills found Vanderheiden's remains first, and the next day those of Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler, 16, who vanished Oct. 7, 1985, after playing hooky from school with Shermantine.

An excavated well on Flood Road east of Linden next revealed the remains of JoAnn Hobson, 16, who went missing in 1985; Kimberly Billy, 19, who disappeared in 1984; and a third victim who has yet to be identified.

Following Saturday's church service, a smaller group accompanied John and Terri Vanderheiden to their daughter's final resting place at the Glenview Cemetery in Clements. The cemetery is about a mile's drive from her parent's home, where she last lived.

With Terri at his side, John carried a wooden box holding their daughter's cremated remains to the burial site and placed it under the shade of old trees.

"It's been a long journey," Rev. Standish said, also reading a Bible scripture. "We've finally reached that final destination."

The Vanderheiden's, their older daughter and her children next stepped to a clearing in the trees at the cemetery, each holding the string of a yellow balloon, Cyndi's favorite color.

Together, they released the balloons and watched as the cluster of yellow drifted away into the sky.